Let’s get things straight; Flaviar sells you an experience as much as it does spirits. It’s a tasting service which allows you to sample from the basics: scotches, gins, rums to more unique experiences such as Japanese whiskeys and the top 5 spirits of 2013. I kept it classy with the Five Flavours of Scotch pack and within a week had a Lagavulin 16 YO, Singleton of Dufftown 15 YO, Auchentoshan 12 YO, The Glenlivet 18 YO and Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Given each tube is only about a shot (1.5 oz)  it serves anywhere from 1-3 people depending on how generous you’re feeling, but I’d recommend you and two others. After all, you’re not looking to get hammered and you’ll want to discuss what you taste with friends.

Don’t worry, Flaviar won’t leave you high and dry (certainly not dry) when it comes to your tasting. Each pack comes with instructions on how to serve each spirit, how to taste and a professional detailing of each of the specific spirits in your pack.

Flaviar packs range from $33-$49 depending on your spirit choice. My scotch pack was $42, though not cheap at first glance I was able to taste five great scotches with two great friends in the comfort of my living room for just $14 a person.  And like I said, they’re selling an experience as much as spirits and it’s an experience I’ll certainly be buying into time and time again.

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At the beginning, there’s a quick, seriously it’s a quick taste of vanilla followed by mesquite mixed with pork. It’s a flashbang of flavor that slowly trickles down your throat eventually coating your stomach, bringing warmth in layers and smooth satisfaction. There’s eloquence to the process from glass to gut. This is not for the novice scotch drinker. Your palette needs to adapt to the complexity of this peaty and intense blast of flavor. Besides, with its 57.1% alc/vol (which means that like your author) it will only take one glass to feel the warmth in your head as well as your stomach.

Established as a commercial distillery in 1815, Ardbeg was a product of the distillery boom of Islay during the first quarter century in the 1800s. Known for some of the peatiest scotch in the world, Corryvreckan doesn’t disappoint. Even the name, Corryvreckan, sounds like it should be either yelled from the top of a hill in defiance to some English dandies or charted on a map as a destination in Braveheart. In fact, it’s actually named after a famous whirlpool north of Islay. I had never heard of Ardbeg until about a month before receiving the bottle. Being a Lagavulin, Talisker and Laphroaig supporter, I was astonished I had never been exposed to such a fine liquid until a visit to Los Angeles unearthed a bottle during a Photoshop lecture-turned-scotch-experience with friends.

After a glorious (yes, glorious) day of Ferrari seat time, nude models and a dry lakebed in the Mojave Desert combining all three into a blender of sexual frustration and red-blooded Italian passion, I was introduced into the world of Ardbeg hours later in the LA loft I would thankfully visit. Fast forward until that first twist of the cork which brought forth that smell and eventually the taste that really made me thankful for the slow process of how scotch whiskey is made. I’m not a religious man, but God bless this black magic.

In summary, this scotch, its name, the experience, should be an event. Celebrate something, or find a reason to enjoy what you have in your hands. I repeat; Johnny Walker Red or Black doesn’t hold a candle to this fine libation. Hide this from your acquaintances and keep it for your best man because the Ardbeg Corryvreckan deserves recognition and not some late night foray into the liquor cabinet. Get it from Masters Of Malt for $99.

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